Car-coupling



(No Model.) f

E. SURPRBNANT. GAB GOUPLING.

No. 475,168. Patented May 1'7, 1892.

f@ AQ i.

UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD SURPRENANT, OF COHOES, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,168, dated May 17,1892.

Application tiled February 18, 1892. Serial No. 422,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, EDWARD SURPRENANT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Im provements in Car-Couplin gs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of automatic couplings forrailway-cars wherein a spring-pressed slide within the draw-head servesto sustain a coupling-pin until an entering link moves the sliderearward to permit the descent of the pin. In prior couplings of thisconstruction it frequently occurs that the springs of the slides vary inpower, and if a link engaged. with a slide in the drawhead of one caracts on another pin-supporting slide the spring of which is of greaterpower than the spring of the slide carrying the entering link the carswill not be coupled, because the stronger or more powerful spring willhold its slide and push back the slide carrying the entering link.

The objects of my invention are to avoid this objection and to improveautomatic carcouplings of the character alluded to.

To accomplish these objects my invention consists, essentially, in thecombination, with a draw-head having` a vertical pin-hole for thepassage of a coupling-pin and a springpressed slide movablelongitudinally in the draw-head, having a link-engaging jaw at its frontend and normally held by its spring in position to support thecoupling-pin, of a locking-bolt carried by the draw-head and adapted tobe lnoved into engagement with a recessed part of the slide when a linkis engaged therewith to enter another draw-head having a spring-pressedpin-supporting slide of similar construction, so that if the spring o fthe lattor slide is stronger or more powerful than the slide carryingthe link the latter will be held by the locking-bolt andtherebyprevented from being moved backward to such extent as to prevent theproper coupling of the cars.

The invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand combination or arrangement of parts hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure lis a longitudinal sectional view of two draw-heads constructedin accordance with my invention and arranged in such relation that thecoupling-link in one draw-head is about entering the mouth of theotherdrawhead. showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is atop-plan view of one of the draw-heads, omitting'the upper wall thereofto exhibit the pin-supporting slide.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to thedrawings, wherein- The numeral l indicates a draw-head y provided, asusual, with avertical pin-hole 2 for receiving the coupling-pin 3,whichis pivotally connected with the crank-arm 4 of a rockshaft 5, journaledin suitable bearings 6 on the end of a car 7. The extremities of therock-shaftA extend to the sides ofthe car and Fig. 2 is an end elevationof a can are provided with handles 8, of anynsuitable Y construction,for the purpose of axially turning the rock-shaft for elevating thecouplingpin. A stop-arm or bracket 9 is secured to the car at a pointdirectly above the crankarm 4: of the rock-shaft 5 for the purpose oflimiting the upward movement of the crankarm and thereby preventing thecomplete withdrawal of the coupling-pin from the pin hole in thedraw-head. The interior of the draw-head is provided at its sides with apair of parallel guide-ribs 10,-between which is adapted to movelengthwise a pin-supporting slide l2, having a head 13 at its frontextremity, which is adapted to move under the pinhole in the top wall ofthe ydraw-head for the purpose of supporting the coupling-pin inposition for the automatic coupling of the cars, as will hereinafterappear. The pin-supporting slide is preferably composed of two platessuitably bolted together and so constructed at the front portion as toform a pair of linkengaging jaws 14, between which one extremity of acoupling-link 15 can be inserted for the purpose of entering anotherdraw-head to push the pin-supporting slide thereof rearward to permitthe descent of the couplingpin and thereby automatically couple thecars. l do not, however, conne myself to the pin-supporting slidecomposed of two sections or plates detachably connected together, al-

IOO

i though this construction is preferred in that it enables the uppermostplate to be composed of slightly-elastic metal, so that the couplinglinkwill be gripped and securely held when forced between the two jaws 14.The rear extremity of the pin-supporting slide is provided with a guidepin or bolt 16, extending through a longitudinal slot 17 in the bottomwall of the draw-head and rigidly connected with a guide-lug 18, workingin the slot 17 and formed integral with a horizontal sliding plate 19.The horizontal sliding plateis provided with a hook 20, engaged with oneextremity of a spiral or other suitable spring 21, the oppositeextremity of which is engaged With a hook 22, secured to the-bottom wallof if occasion demands.

the draw-head. The ends of the spring are readily detachable from thehooks, and since by my arrangement the springis located outside thedraw-head it can readily be renewed This is a very desirableconstruction in that the springs frequently become injured and usuallyparts of the draw-head must be separated from each other to remove thespring which acts on the pin-supporting slide. In my invention, however,the springs are located outside the drawhead and are readily removableand replaceable without disturbing any parts of the drawhead.

The side wall of the draw-head is provid ed with a tranverse orifice 23,in which is arrangedalaterally-movable locking-bolt 24:, the innerextremity of which can be moved into the path of a lateral shoulder25'on the pinsupporting slide 12. The locking-bolt is engaged with anupwardly-projecting arm 26 on a yoke-shaped rod 27, 4which embraces thedraw-head and has its extremities extended to the sides of the car andprovided with suitable handles 28, so that by moving the yokerodlengthwise the locking-bolt is slid into or out of the path of thelateral shoulder 25 on the pin-supporting slide.

In the practical use of car-couplings of the character alluded to thesprings which press the pin-supporting slides forward into position tosustain the coupling-pin frequently vary in power, and consequently if alink enthe link to be introduced into the draw-head of another car, andconsequently the slide` carrying the link cannot be unduly pushed backby the power of the spring acting on the slide in the draw-head of theadjacent car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination,with a' draw-head having a vertical pin-hole, a spring-pressed slidehaving a lateral shoulder, and link-engaging jaws at its front end andnormally held by its sping in position to support 'a coupling-pin, of alocking-bolt carried by the draw-head and movable into engagement withthelateral shoulder of the slide when a link is engaged therewith toenter another draw-head, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a draw-head having a vertical pin-hole, aspring-pressed slide having a lateral shoulder, and link-engaging jawsat its front end and normally held by its spring in position to supporta coupling-pin, of a locking-bolt carried by the draw-head and movableinto engagement with the lateral shoulder of the slide when a link isengaged therewith, and a lengthwise-'movable rod extending transverselyof the car and having an arm engaging the locking-bolt for moving thelatter back and forth, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head having a vertical pin-hole, alongitudinal slot in its bottom wall, and a hook secured to the outsideof the latter, of a lengthwise-movable pin-supporting slide having ahook and linkengaging jaws at its front end, a sliding plate connectedwith the rear end of the pin-supporting slide through the slot in thebottom wall of the draw-head and provided with a hook, and a springdetachably engaged with the hook on the draw-head and the hook on thesliding plate, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a draw-head having a vertical pin-hole, and apin-supporting slide normally held by its spring in position to supporta coupling-pin, of a rock-shaft-` journaled on the car and havingacrank-arm engaged with the eye of a coupling-pin, and a stop-arm securedto the car above the crankarm of the rock-shaft for preventing thecomplete withdrawal of the coupling-pin from the pin-hole, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal inpresence ofv two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

ISRAEL BELANGER, NE1L MORRIS.

IOO

IIO

